


Your Hubris Brings Me to My Knees

by EzzyDean



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, M/M, UshiOi Month 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-19 08:43:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 16,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20328322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzzyDean/pseuds/EzzyDean
Summary: My contribution to UshiOi month over on tumblr.Read about Ushijima and Oikawa falling in love six different times.  But not necessarily six different ways.





	1. Monday 1 - same hs

**Author's Note:**

> Each set of stories is three chapters long and each chapter has the prompt(s) for that day in the title.

The strength of a setter wasn’t just in making the right calls, the right plays. It wasn’t just setting up the court to their advantage, picking the right person for the right chances at success. It wasn’t even being able to pinpoint the opposition’s weaknesses and exploit them with a flicker of fingers or a glance to the right person. The true strength of a setter was how strong he made the rest of the team. How well he brought out each player’s strength. How well he pruned back their dead branches to let the new growth bloom. He watched his team grow by leaps and bounds, watched shy players gain a confidence they never thought they’d have. He gave them healthy soil to plant their roots and a wide open sky to grow towards.

If there was one thing Oikawa Tooru knew for certain it was that he was a strong setter. Some days he didn’t necessarily believe he was a good setter or a decent person or a team player. But he was a strong setter. And the trophies and medals and certificates that lined the school’s hallways and club room were proof of it.

It helped that he had a good team to work with. A great artist can make even the shoddiest of tools work well for them. But give them the good stuff to begin with and they can make masterpieces so much easier.

And Tooru had to admit the day that Ushijima Wakatoshi wandered into the club room looking for their coach that he didn’t know of a finer tool than him. Or was it a bigger tool?

“Hey Makki?”

“Yeah?”

“If I said that I didn’t know of a finer tool than Ushijima what would you say?”

“Aww that’s sweet.” Makki frowned and turned to him. “Wait.”

Iwaizumi nudged him in the shoulder and sat down next to him to tie his gym shoes. “Could you be a little less salty, Oikawa?”

“Can you punch me in the chest to make sure I’m not hallucinating, Iwa-chan?”

“With pleasure.”

Oikawa walked into practice that day with an ache in his chest.

(The ache in his chest he walked out of practice with seemed to have little to do with his best friend’s fist and more to do with the way Ushijima’s spike had echoed through the gym after Tooru had finally begrudgingly set to him halfway through practice. The echo of that power resonated in his bones and he saw his team shooting from seedlings to saplings in the blink of an eye. His knee ached just thinking about keeping up with them all.)

—

Tooru held his tongue, and his curiosity, for almost a month. Classes were well underway. Practice was running smoothly enough. (There was a little bit of friction over where the title of the team’s Ace truly belonged but that wasn’t really Tooru’s department so he let Iwa-chan and Ushijima duke that one out.) He could set to anyone, he prided himself on it. He was determined to bring out the best, bring out all the strength, of anyone he set to. Even if it was Ushijima he was setting to.

“Your serves are quite powerful,” Ushijima said. Tooru was pretty sure it was his polite conversational tone. Not that Ushijima’s tones changed all that much. “It can be tough to receive them at times.”

It wasn’t an insult or a bizarre dig at his talents. Ushijima wasn’t flaunting his own skills. It bothered Tooru. (The thought that it bothered him because he knew if their roles were reversed he would be using every chance he had to dig at Ushijima was one that occurred to him more than once and he firmly shoved it to the back of his mind.) Ushijima had actually been nothing but polite since he came to Seijoh.

—

“Why are you at Seijoh? What made you decide to come here?”

“I want to play on the strongest team and win. You are the strongest setter I have known thus far. So I chose Seijoh. I chose your team.”

“Oh,” Tooru breathed out. “Okay.”

Ushijima didn’t say “I chose you” but Tooru heard it anyway.


	2. Monday 2 - hello again (get to know the real me)

Wakatoshi could feel the eyes on him as he slipped into the gym to begin his stretches and he held in a sigh. The others weren’t rude to him. In fact they had been very polite to him since he switched schools. But that was it. They were polite. They kept their distance. He hadn’t realized how used to Shiratorizawa he had gotten until they were gone and there was no Tendou hovering around him and chattering away and no Semi giving people dirty looks for their muttered comments about him. Seijoh was a good school and had a good volleyball team. But it was starting to feel a little lonely and for the first time since he made up his mind to switch schools he was starting to question his choice.

“Hello Ushijima-san.” He glanced to the side and was lost enough in his own thoughts that he apparently didn’t hide the surprise on his face well enough judging by the quiet laugh he heard. “You looked like you could use company?”

“Watari. Hello.” Watari nodded at him and began stretching. It was… nice. Watari didn’t ramble the way Tendou always did and he didn’t throw around any glares even when Kyoutani grumbled something under his breath that made Yahaba elbow him in the side. But he was a warm presence at Wakatoshi’s side throughout warm ups.

Watari didn’t hover, not like Tendou. But he seemed to be at the edge of Wakatoshi’s awareness throughout practice. And after practice he joined Wakatoshi in his cool down stretches.

He had no idea what Watari got out of it. Why he did it. But by the end of the week Watari had been joined by a grumbling Kyoutani and for a moment or two when Kyoutani would huff and growl at Oikawa and Hanamaki and Watari would talk about something he was learning in class and ask rhetorical questions it made everything he didn’t realize was off balance settle.

“You know, Oikawa-san really isn’t so bad.” Watari dropped the statement in the middle of a rambling story about something that happened to his second cousin’s boyfriend’s sister. He said it in the same tone he used for all his rhetorical statements so Wakatoshi simply nodded and continued his stretches. “He really just wants us all to be able to play our best and he can get a little intense about it. He’s really a giant goofball when he’s not focused on volleyball. You know?”

Watari almost sounded distressed so Wakatoshi paused to give him a patient look.

“Just something for you to maybe think about.” Watari shrugged and grinned at him. “You know. To help you see the real Oikawa.”

That made no sense to Wakatoshi at all. Everything he saw was the ‘real’ Oikawa. Even the masks the other teen insisted on wearing were part of what made him Oikawa.

—

“I don’t know what you’re doing Watacchi but I’m onto you.”

Watari grinned at him, blinking innocently. Last year Tooru might have believed that look. But he knew better now.

“But Oikawa-san,” Watari said sweetly.

“No.”

“I just want Ushijima-san to know that there’s more to you than this,” he carried on as though Tooru hadn’t spoken, gesturing vaguely at Tooru as he did.

Tooru glanced down at his sweaty practice clothes and spun the volleyball in his hands idly. It sounded legitimate enough he supposed. But the question of the matter was why? Why did Watari care what Ushiwaka did or didn’t know or think about Tooru?

“What’s the bet and which one of them is closest to winning? And don’t lie to me Watacchi.” Watari’s mouth snapped shut. “I may not know what you’re lying about but I always know when you’re lying to me.”

Watari sighed dramatically and settled onto the bench next to Tooru. “Fine,” he said petulantly. “But you didn’t hear any of this from me. Yahaba’s up next for winning the bet on how long it will take you to admit that Ushijima is not just an asset to the team but also maybe your friend. Matsukawa-san is up next for the bet on you admitting that Ushijima is not just an asset but that he has a nice ass. And Iwaizumi-san is the only one who has actually made a bet on when someone will catch the two of you making out in the supply closet.”

“Traitors,” Tooru hissed. He glared around the gym. Not that it mattered since everyone else was already in the club room. “Traitors the lot of them. You’re the only decent one Watacchi.”

“Yeah well I’m next up if you don’t admit you like his ass this week. So, you know.” Watari grinned at him and hopped to his feet. “Well Captain? Shall we?”

Tooru waved Watari off and sat on the bench, staring into space as he spun the volleyball in his hands again and again. He could admit that Ushiwaka wasn’t quite the horrible villain he had once thought him to be. But he didn’t really like him that much.

Did he?


	3. Monday 3 - supernatural & make up/break up

The coffee in Wakatoshi’s cup was cold. But not nearly as cold as the look on Tooru’s face. He knew he hadn’t forgotten anything important. They had just celebrated their anniversary two nights ago and Tooru’s birthday wasn’t for another couple months. They had gone grocery shopping last night and weren’t out of any of Tooru’s favorite foods or necessities. Which only left…

“What did Dream Wakatoshi do to you last night?”

“You broke up with me!”

“Dream Wakatoshi broke up with Dream Tooru.”

“You. Broke up with. Me.”

Wakatoshi rubbed tiredly at his cheek and blinked up at Tooru. While it wouldn’t be the first time his dream self had done something similar — there had been a stretch of three weeks where dream him had apparently shown up late to every dream date and dream social function and real him had suffered cold coffee and burnt toast the entire time — the betrayal in Tooru’s eyes was more than just from a dream break up.

“What else did dream Wakatoshi do?”

“You broke up with me,” Tooru repeated mulishly. Then he smacked his hand on the table. “For Watacchi!”

“I have no control over whatever Dream Wakatoshi does in your dreams. I don’t even control Dream Wakatoshi in my own dreams.” Wakatoshi stood up and dumped the cold coffee down the drain, leaving the empty mug in the sink for later. “You know I would never break up with you Tooru. Not even for Watari. Because I. Love you.”

Tooru’s grouchy expression slowly faded into a pleased one. He leaned against Wakatoshi’s side and smiled up at him.

“You know,” Tooru said cheerfully, “if this were one of those ghost movies you like so much this is right when you’d morph into some bizarre dream demon and consume my soul.”

Wakatoshi shook his head. “It is far too early to consume souls. They are too heavy a meal for breakfast.”

Tooru’s eyes widened in surprise at his words, clearly he hadn’t been expecting Wakatoshi to play along.

“You are too much sometimes.” Tooru pulled away to start a new post of coffee, content smile on his face. He suddenly froze with one hand on the coffee pot and turned to glare at Wakatoshi suspiciously. “What do you mean ‘not even for Watari’?”

He let out a sigh and turned his gaze to the ceiling. When Dream Wakatoshi decided to be a jerk to Tooru he always managed to ruin Wakatoshi’s day.

—

“So.” Tooru propped his chin in his hands and looked around the booth. “What is the probability that I am dating a werewolf?”

Iwaizumi rubbed at his temples and let out a soft sigh. Watacchi leaned his head against Iwaizumi’s shoulder and Tooru narrowed his eyes. He still hadn’t forgiven Wakatoshi for dumping him for Watacchi in his dream.

“Do you have any proof? Or signs?” Tooru grinned. He could always count on Mattsun to indulge him when Iwa-chan wouldn’t.

He twisted in the booth to face Mattsun. “Well. He eats a lot of meat. Is actually surprisingly hairy. Very muscular even though we don’t play volleyball anymore and he only gets to the gym like once a week. Disappears during full moons.”

Iwaizumi groaned. “Oikawa. You eat a lot of meat too. Ushijima is a firefighter. He’s in shape for his job and gets plenty of exercise there. Trust me.”

Tooru scoffed at him. “The hairiness?” Mattsun asked, once again coming to Tooru’s indulgence rescue.

“Hairiness isn’t an indicator of being a werewolf. Hell if the shows and movies are anything to go by it’s the smooth shiny chested hairless ones that are gonna be wolves. Like Watari.” Makki finally joined the conversation. Half an hour late with a coffee cup from the shop down the street, but he was there. The waiter behind the counter gave Makki an unimpressed look and Makki sent him an air kiss back. Tooru would never understand his friends.

“Wow. Call me out why don’t you?” Watacchi muttered.

“Fine,” Tooru said, ignoring Watacchi and Makki. “The full moon disappearances?”

He and Makki stared at each other for a few moments, neither willing to look away until Iwaizumi groaned.

“Oh for fuck’s sake Oikawa. Ushijima comes and works at my station once a month. You know this. You call him all the time at my station. Hell if anyone is a werewolf it’s my station leader since she’s the one who actually vanishes during the full moon and goes full hermit mode.”

“Oooh does she have a smooth shiny hairless chest?” Makki grinned at Iwaizumi as he started sputtering and turning an angry shade of red. “Does Watari know about this?”

“Watari is right here you know,” Watacchi said petulantly.

“Oh I know.”

“So… is that a no on me dating a werewolf?”

—

Before Tooru could even slip out of his shoes Wakatoshi was standing in the doorway — super speed, totally a werewolf thing right? — holding something out to him.

“What’s this?” Tooru grabbed the slips of paper out of Wakatoshi’s hands.

“Tickets to the planetarium show tonight.”

Tooru sucked in a breath. “The Archaeoastronomy one? I thought it was sold out?”

Wakatoshi shrugged. “I know people. And I called in favors. And now owe favors.”

Tooru jumped at Wakatoshi and wrapped him in a hug when the other man easily caught him. “You’re forgiven for breaking up with me.”

“Dream Wakatoshi broke up with Dream Tooru,” Wakatoshi replied patiently. “I would never break up with you.”

“Never ever?”

“Never ever.”

“Even if you were an immortal werewolf and I was a helpless frail human?”

Wakatoshi blinked down at him. “Your mind is a strange place Tooru.”

“Doesn’t matter. I have tickets to the planetarium to a sold out show I’ve wanted to see for ages and an amazingly handsome date to take me there.”

“Oh is Iwaizumi taking you?”

Tooru mock glared at Wakatoshi and pulled him down for a kiss. “Wakatoshi. You’re the only date I’ll ever need or want.”


	4. Tuesday 1 - same college

Tooru stared into the mirror, his face twisted into a mask of disgust and disbelief.

“Ugh,” he groaned. “I swear it’s like his one purpose on this godforsaken planet is to make my life a living hell.”

“Huh?” Sugawara glanced around in confusion before he saw who Tooru was talking about. “Who? Ushijima?” he asked. Or Tooru assumed that’s what he said. It was a little hard to understand exactly what Sugawara was saying with all the crackers shoved into his mouth. Why Sugawara was eating a box of crackers in the weight room was not something Tooru really bothered wondering about anymore. At least this time it was a box of regular crackers and not the ones aimed at people who are, generally, under the age of twelve.

All Tooru wanted to do was deal with his required PT workout in peace. Which is why he was in the weight room at four in the morning. Because no sane university student would be there. So Ushiwaka being there was fitting, really. Because he was working on a theory that Ushiwaka wasn’t entirely sane and stable. It was either that or aliens. And Iwa-chan refused to discuss the alien theory with Tooru after the last time. Stupid Iwa-chan and his monsters and cryptids.

Huh.

He tilted his head and studied Ushiwaka in the mirror; maybe cryptid was a better theory anyway.

Ushiwaka met his gaze in the mirror, as stoic and irritating as ever, and gave them both a nod.

Ushiwaka headed across the weight room to the locker room and Tooru tracked his movements even as he gave in to Sugawara’s prodding fingers and started his next round of stretches. Logically he knew that he needed to do the workout and do it regularly. It was the only way to get his knee back towards how it was supposed to be. But he also wanted to do nothing but curl up in bed and read his textbooks and forget he had ever had dreams and aspirations of being a professional athlete of any kind. Which he would do. Happily. If Sugawara wasn’t his roommate and didn’t delight so much in dragging Tooru out of his bed. Literally dragging him. As in a week ago Sugawara had dragged Tooru’s limp body halfway down the hallway in the dorms before Tooru finally got up. More because of the rug burn that he was getting on his back than anything else.

“So what exactly do you have against Ushijima anyway? I know there’s some kind of animosity there but no one will ever tell me what.”

Tooru grunted disgustedly at Ushiwaka’s name and then froze partway through a stretch.

“No one will tell you?” he asked slowly. “Who exactly have you been talking to? I mean I don’t really keep it a secret but I don’t really remember talking to it about anyone other than my team.”

“Hmm?” Sugawara asked innocently. “Oh you know.” He pressed gently on Tooru’s thigh to get him to keep stretching.

Tooru wasn’t fooled for a moment.

“No I don’t know. And you know I don’t know. And I know you know I don’t know. So spill. Which one of them did you snag with your wily ways?”

“Iwaizumi and Hanamaki,” Sugawara said. Tooru stared at him in surprise. Sugawara stared back. “You have attractive former teammates. But this isn’t about me. This is about you and your elementary school playground level rage about him.”

Tooru’s eyes snapped up to the mirror and he watched Ushiwaka run through a series of stretches. Sugawara pointedly cleared his throat and Tooru looked at the ground, refusing to meet Sugawara’s gaze or acknowledge the flush covering his cheeks.

“It’s not like that,” he grumbled. “It’s just. No matter what I’ve ever done, no matter how good I’ve ever been or, well, was.” He rubbed at his knee idly. “No matter what he was there. Doing better. Being better. Flaunting it all and shoving it in my face just how horrible I was.”

“I’ve never thought you to be horrible, Oikawa.” They both jumped at Ushiwaka’s voice next to them. “I just simply thought you could be…” He paused, seemingly trying to find the right words. “Even better than you were. I can see now that you were always being the best you could be and comparing your skill set and mine was unfair. I apologize for any misunderstandings we have had in the past.”

Ushiwaka nodded at them both and then headed over to the treadmills. Tooru watched him go, feeling a lot like his world had just tilted out from under him.


	5. Tuesday 2 - confessions

Tooru really wasn’t sure which look he trusted less: the grin on Sugawara’s face, the grin on Sawamura’s face, the blush on Iwa-chan’s face, or the way Makki was side-eying him. It was a sad, sad day, he decided, when the rather placid look on Ushiwaka’s face was the most comforting thing in the room.

Okay. So. Maybe they weren’t all sober. Maybe he had spent the last half hour sitting in Sugawara’s lap. Maybe he really didn’t need the bottle of beer that he had dangling from his fingers. Whatever they were all 20something or another and this was the time to make questionable decisions in life. The current questionable decision was playing truth or dare while drinking. The previous questionable decision had been playing two truths and a lie. While drinking.

Tooru was pretty sure that he could say he had never imagined what Wakatoshi would be like drunk. But now he didn’t have to try to imagine it. Because he knew. Because Ushijima Wakatoshi, volleyball’s Golden Boy Extraordinaire, was sitting across the table from Tooru with three empty beer bottles and a shot glass in front of him. And Tooru had watched him empty every single one.

Not that Tooru was watching Ushiwaka’s every move or anything. It’s just that Ushiwaka was directly across from him. And the expression on his face was slightly more trustworthy than the conniving grins and weird blushes and rude side-eyes that the rest of the group had. And Tooru was a little drunk and it was easier to focus directly in front of him.

Yeah. That sounded legit enough.

“Oikawa,” Sugawara crooned. It was creepy. “It’s your turn.”

“It is?” He had missed Iwa-chan’s turn. Not that it mattered. He and Iwa-chan couldn’t call each other’s truths or lies. Just like Sawamura and Sugawara weren’t allowed to call theirs. It wasn’t fair to the others. Or something. Tooru was a little fuzzy on the details of the rules.

“Yep.”

“Oh. Okay.” He frowned a little. This was harder to do than truth or dare. It was easy to answer something someone else asked you yet so hard to pick something personal to share. It was especially hard now that they were somewhere around three rounds into the game. But he felt like he was a little bit behind somehow. “Wait. What are we playing again?”

“Truth or dare,” Ushiwaka said in that quiet little rumble of his and Tooru’s cheeks were totally flushing because he was embarrassed he forgot the game. Yep. That’s why.

“Oh.” Well that explained the confusion. “Um. Truth?”

It was a moment of weakness. That little hesitation. He knew it the moment Sugawara’s eyes lit up with glee.

—

“So tell me Ushiwaka-chan.” Ushiwaka let out a quiet little sigh but didn’t say anything. He never did. Which was why Tooru kept calling him that. “Tell me. Did you really seriously skip volleyball practice when you were little just to stay home and watch a documentary on jellyfish?”

Ushiwaka sighed again. Tooru was pretty sure that Ushiwaka had a specific sigh just for him at this point. It was kind of heartwarming. And a little nerve wracking somehow. Ushiwaka set his hand over Tooru’s own and he froze; he hadn’t even realized he had been rubbing his knee nervously.

“Yes I really did. You have asked me this three times since truth or dare.”

“I know. I just can’t believe it.”

“Well if it makes you feel better I find it hard to believe that you decided that during truth or dare was the best time to confess your feelings for me.”

Tooru shrugged. “Yeah, well. You know me. I live for the drama and attention.”

He squirmed a bit under Ushiwaka’s stare. Being the sole focus of Ushiwaka’s attention had always been a thrilling mix of terrifying and exhilarating and it was doubly, no triply, so now that Ushiwaka knew just how much Tooru had grown to like him. He was just about to say something, anything to break the tension building between them when Ushiwaka smiled.

Wow.

Ushiwaka had an gorgeous smile.

“I don’t presume to know you perfectly, Oikawa, and I doubt I ever will. But I do know that the drama and attention isn’t all that you are. Not by a long shot.”

There was something fond and impressed in Ushiwaka’s eyes and it took every ounce of willpower that Tooru had not to preen. Or let out a victory shout when Ushiwaka agreed to go out on a date with him the following night.


	6. Tuesday 3 - superheros/villains & single dad au

A pair of big hazel eyes stared up at him from under a mop of messy light brown hair. Tooru stared back down into those eyes. He felt a little bit like he could see eternity in them. It was an oddly familiar sensation.

“Yep,” the little girl said loudly, nodding like Tooru had just confirmed something for her. “Here’s my papa.”

Tooru jerked his head back a little and looked around the library for another adult. He was trying to figure out just what the heck this little girl was talking about because as far as he knew he had never done anything that could produce a child. Not unless you really could get pregnant from kissing. And if you could then… damn.

“Um.”

“Call me Misaki,” she whispered conspiratorially. It was a strange thing to hear from a small child but there was no mistaking the look in her eyes.

“Right. Um. Misaki. I think you mistook me for someone else. I’m not anyone’s papa.”

He looked around. The library seemed to be deserted all of a sudden. What had been a quiet background murmur of people paging through books was now an eerie silence. Like they were in a vacuum. A black hole of sound right here in the History section.

“Silly papa.”

Tooru looked back at her and opened his mouth to reply when someone stepped out from the end of a nearby aisle.

“Misaki there you are! You can’t just-” The librarian stopped when she spotted Tooru. “Oh Oikawa. I didn’t realize you were who she was talking about all this time. My apologies. But you really shouldn’t just let her wander around. You never know what sort of horrible people could be waiting to snatch up this precious little girl.”

Before he could say a word the librarian was gone again and he was alone with Misaki.

“I am so confused,” he whispered.

Misaki took his hand and tugged him towards the chairs set up a few feet away. “It’s okay. She confuses me sometimes too.”

“She is right, you know.” They’re seated next to each other, chair arms touching after Misaki had stared at him until he moved the chairs where she wanted them to be. “You can’t just go around claiming someone is your papa. What if I had been a bad person and snatched you up?”

She laughed at him, high and carefree laughter that only seems to come from a child, and shook her head.

“Nope. You’re a good person. You’re Takeru-chan’s uncle. He comes into the school and helps teach us all the time and he talks about you a lot. And you’re here in the library all the time. I always see you.”

It was a strange thing to say. Because he couldn’t remember ever seeing her before.

They had been there for almost an hour, Tooru barely listening to her chattering while trying to figure out why the librarian just assumed she was his daughter and if he had ever given any indication he had children and when exactly Misaki had seen him and why she decided that he was her papa, when her irritated huff drew his attention. It was nostalgic in the way that hearing Hajime call him ‘Shittykawa’ was nostalgic and with a sudden clarity he snapped his eyes to her.

“And then Yasu is just all ‘volleyball this’ and ‘soccer that’ and father just doesn’t get why I like books so much but he tries to. So he brings me here while Yasu is at practice.” He watched her eyes slide past him towards the front of the library and her face lit up. “Oh there they are!”

He didn’t even have to turn around to know who her father was. The way her face lit up, subtly but there if you knew what to look for, and the way she straightened her posture, not that it was bad to begin with, were so familiar he could have described them without ever having seen them on her. She was a tiny feminine version of Wakatoshi right down to the way she blinked in confusion when she glanced over at Tooru’s awestruck expression.

“Misaki we have talked about bothering strangers.”

“But he’s not a stranger father. I promise!”

Tooru took a steadying breath and turned around to look up at Wakatoshi.

“Hello Ushijima,” he said softly.

It was only because he knew the other man so well that he could read Wakatoshi. His face showed next to nothing, his gaze never flickered beyond recognition, his body stayed exactly the same tenseness. The only tell was the way his fingers twitched ever so slightly and he blinked a few more times than usual. And the fact that Tooru could remember was a ‘usual’ amount of blinking was for Wakatoshi just cemented what he already knew: he had never really gotten over the other man.

Misaki leaned around from behind Wakatoshi and Tooru nearly startled before he realized that this must be Yasu. Yasu had the exact same messy light brown hair and big hazel eyes as Misaki. There was a light dusting of freckles on Yasu’s forehead that Misaki was lacking, probably due to Misaki preferring the indoors and books instead of outdoors and sports.

Twins. Ushijima Wakatoshi was a father. To twins.

—

“I truly am sorry for any trouble Misaki caused you. She can be rather impulsive.”

Tooru glanced from where the twins were playing on the swings to the man sitting on the bench beside him.

“Oh she wasn’t any trouble at all. A bit more talkative than I’m used to from a child who has never met me. But no trouble I promise.”

“Talkative?”

Tooru studied the man beside him. Ushijima hadn’t changed all that much in the years since they had graduated. He was still all broad shoulders and serious expressions. But there were lines around his eyes and a few gray hairs scattered on his head. He held himself the same as always but there was a looseness to it that told of age and experience. The softness in his eyes when he looked at the twins was a thing that Tooru would have killed to have directed at him when they had been together. Not that Ushijima wasn’t soft or kind to Tooru back then. They had just both been kind of shit at being able to express it when they weren’t tipsy or being goaded on by their friends.

“Yeah, talkative.” He jolted back to the present when he heard Misaki laughing. “I heard all about how you’re a big superhero who fights off all the villains in the world.”

Ushijima let out a quiet huff of laughter. “She doesn’t quite understand what a paramedic does.”

“Or she does and she just likes to add to her stories. Either way you’re her hero.”

“If it makes you feel any better you are Yasu’s hero.”

Tooru scoffed. “Me? The kid doesn’t even know me.”

“Yasu has heard many stories of you. I believe they idolize you a little.”

“They idolize me - the washout high school star who blew their knee and their chances of going pro? Over you - the superstar?”

Wakatoshi shook his head sadly. “You never did see yourself the way I saw you, Tooru. I suppose my stories of you colored you in a different light for Yasu.”

—

The library had become their thing to do. Tooru still wasn’t sure why Misaki was always here during practice times and not off with her mother or something. And no matter how many times he had tried to mention it to Wakatoshi the other man refused to tell him anything. But that was okay. Because it meant that Tooru got to spend time with Misaki. And then after practice Wakatoshi and Yasu would wander into the library and the four of them would go to the park or, if the weather was bad, they’d hurry to the diner down the street.

He had Wakatoshi back in his life after nearly a decade and it was all thanks to the little girl curled up in the chair beside him paging through an astronomy book for children.

“Why did you decide to say I was your papa that day?”

Misaki looked up at him after a moment and scrunched her face in thought. “Well,” she said slowly, like she wasn’t sure how to tell him. “One time when mother and father were still together they argued and they didn’t know Yasu and I had made a fort in their closet in their room and I was reading there. They didn’t mean to argue in front of me.” She looked up at him with her big wide eyes and he nodded understandingly. “They didn’t like arguing. And never in front of me and Yasu.”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t have done it if they knew you were there.”

“No. They wouldn’t have. But they didn’t know. So they did. They argued and mother told father that he should just go find you and make you my and Yasu’s other dad because he still loved you more than her. So when I came to the library and saw you I figured if father loved you so much that you wouldn’t mind being my papa.”

There was a lot to take in and Tooru simply nodded and let Misaki turn back to her book.

—

It had been nearly eight months since the day Misaki had come up to him in the library and it was the first time he and Yasu were left completely alone.

“Will Misaki be okay?”

Tooru looked down at the child sitting next to him on the park bench.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s got your father looking out for her after all, right?”

Yasu’s face scrunched up with worry. “I guess. It’s just weird that father’s not here. He always takes me to practice.”

“I know he wanted to be here. But, between you and me?” Tooru nudged Yasu’s shoulder gently. “You got the better end of the deal. I’m horrible at taking care of sick people. Just ask your father about the week I had to help take care of him and my roommate in university because they got the flu.”

Yasu smiled just a little. But knowing their father and his expressions the way he did Tooru counted it as a huge win.

“He had told us that story once. Not long after mother left and I got the flu.”

Tooru went still beside Yasu. Yasu and Misaki spoke of their mother kindly, but rarely spoke of her around Wakatoshi. He wondered if it was simply because they didn’t want to bring up potentially bittersweet memories to their father. Maybe they didn’t even realize they did it. They were only six after all, still plenty young enough to not fully understand adult things like that.

“I’m sorry,” Tooru said softly. He wasn’t sure what exactly he was apologizing for.

“It’s okay. Mother gets to see the world. And father still has us. And now we have you. Maybe?”

Yasu looked up at Tooru with so much hope in their eyes that Tooru could barely stand it. It was an easy question to answer. It kind of always had been.

“If all of you will have me then who am I to say no?”

—

“Papa,” Misaki’s voice dug into Tooru’s skull, pulling and yanking at every last trace of sleepiness in him.

“Papa,” Yasu whined softly and Tooru snapped awake, instantly on alert.

“Father’s making breakfast,” they said, perfectly in sync, and Tooru was on his feet and halfway down the hallway before their giggling faces even registered. Wakatoshi was not a good cook and Tooru didn’t need a visit from the fire department today.

“Happy anniversary,” Wakatoshi said as Tooru skidded across the tiles of the kitchen floor. Last night’s leftovers sat innocently on the table, safely reheated and dished out without a single char or crispy piece to be found.

“Your children are menaces,” Tooru announced.

Wakatoshi kissed his cheek and guided him to a chair at the table.

“Our children,” Wakatoshi reminded him serenely, “are growing up into wonderfully independent thinking individuals.”

Something thumped to the floor from the direction of the bedrooms and muffled laughter followed. Most likely yet another attempt at turning the hallway into a fort of some kind.

“Menaces.”

“Happy anniversary,” Wakatoshi repeated, drawing Tooru into a soft kiss.

“Happy anniversary,” Tooru murmured against Wakatoshi’s lips.


	7. Wednesday 1 - alternate first meeting

“His name is Tooru,” Ayano murmured in his ear. Wakatoshi glanced at his cousin before letting his eyes wander back across the garden. “He’s my Sora’s little brother.”

“Your Sora,” he murmured.

“Yeah. My Sora.” Ayano laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment. “Or she will be by the end of the day tomorrow.”

Wakatoshi gave his cousin a smile and patted her head. She was beside herself with joy over finally being able to marry the love of her life and the least he could do was indulge her. After all the only family she had left was his father and himself and honestly it wasn’t that bad to deal with. Plus she could easy crush him in at least four different ways without breaking a sweat so letting her get away with a tiny little thing like using his shoulder as a pillow was really so much simpler in the long run.

“I’m happy for you,” he said softly. Not that anyone was near them. Not that it would have mattered if there had been. “That you found each other.”

“You just have to be willing to take what you want.”

“We don’t just take Ayano.” She grinned at the disapproving tone. “You didn’t take Sora did you?”

“I will tomorrow.”

Wakatoshi wasn’t the type of person to roll his eyes. Though at times like this he almost wished he was.

—

  
Tooru was happy for his sister. He really was. He just wished he didn’t have to play such a big part in her wedding. Why couldn’t he have just shown up, happy and a marginally sober, and wished her well like the rest of the family seemed keen on doing?

He heard a crash inside. It could have been worse. He could have been the one stuck babysitting Takeru. Another crash, this one followed by the distinct sound of fine glassware shattering against the wooden floor. He took a deep breath. This whole wedding had disaster written all over it. It didn’t help matters that his sister’s bride-to-be came with a frighteningly impressive bodyguard in the form of her stoic… brother? Cousin? Damn but he hoped it was cousin. He could see the familial resemblance, mostly in their eyes and the way their messy bangs fell across their faces.

He was really hoping the man was his future sister-in-law’s cousin. That he could deal with. He didn’t think he’d be able to face himself in the mirror if these feelings in his chest wound up being for his brother-in-law. Brother by marriage but he wasn’t backwards enough to feel okay with that.

“Your demon child seems to be causing mayhem and destruction inside,” he said casually as he settled onto the bench next to her. Across the garden he spotted wide shoulders and a mop of dark hair. He put it as far out of his mind as he could.

Sora laughed and pressed their shoulders together. “Takeru’s just excited because Ayano promised he could go out to sea with us when we leave tomorrow night.”

Tooru raised his brows and gave her a look. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“What am I supposed to do? Leave him with an army of nannies who will no doubt want to poison his mind with pointless drivel?”

“You could leave him with me,” he said automatically. Though he wasn’t entirely sure why he said that.

Sora’s laugh was bright and he saw Ayano peer at them from across the garden with a look of want in her eyes. Her cousin - he was going to go with cousin for his own peace of mind until he found out otherwise - had a similar look and it made Tooru shiver.

“Oh Tooru. I love you dearly. But if you want a child you’ll have to find a nice man of your own and figure it out from there.”

“Sora!” His scolding tone did nothing. But that was to be expected.

“His name is Wakatoshi, by the way. Ayano’s precious cousin.”

—

Wakatoshi and Tooru stood shoulder to shoulder and watched Ayano’s ship sail off into the sunset. The wedding had gone off without a hitch.

“Well,” an unfamiliar voice behind them said, “that’s disappointing. I guess we’ll just have to make do with you two.”

Ah, Tooru thought as he and Wakatoshi turned around to face the man behind them, here’s the disaster. It was just a little late to the party.


	8. Wednesday 2 - first date

“This wasn’t exactly how I imagined our first date going,” Tooru said. Wakatoshi turned his head and looked at him. There was something stern and scolding in his expression. But there was a little flicker of something amused there as well. Tooru counted it as a win.

“Did you spend a lot of time imagining our first date?”

Tooru grinned at Wakatoshi.

“More than I should have no doubt. Sora scolded me once or twice for being distracted.”

Wakatoshi shook his head and opened his mouth. Footsteps thumped overhead before he could say anything and they both fell silent as the steps thumped towards the stairs. They shared a look and braced themselves.

—

“I am sorry for this,” Wakatoshi murmured. It took Tooru longer to open his eyes than Wakatoshi expected and for a moment he was worried. But then Tooru gave him that ridiculous grin and squinted at him.

“You’re not the one who tied me up to a chair and said mean things about my sister to try and get me to crack.”

“Tooru,” he scolded gently. “They did more than just say mean things.”

Tooru shrugged. “Not like they were any nicer to you.”

“Maybe I deserve it,” Wakatoshi said softly. “You don’t know me.”

Tooru kicked at his shin. It was the only contact they could make with how far apart they had been tied up.

“Yeah but my sister chose Ayano, who clearly cares for you, as you do her. So how bad could you be?” The silly grin lit up Tooru’s face when Wakatoshi simply shook his head, unable to come up with a good answer.

He was pretty sure Tooru would be the death of him some day. Which was actually rather refreshing considering the sorts of things he always wound up getting into.

—

“Mattsun. My star. My heart. Love of my life.”

Wakatoshi managed to pull his head up enough to roll it towards the sudden brightness of the oil lamp slowly descending the stairs. It took him far too long to realize it wasn’t just a floating oil lamp but a person carrying an oil lamp.

“Behave Tooru or I will leave you here without a second thought.” Wakatoshi didn’t recognize the voice at all. But the way Tooru let out a dramatic whine was far too familiar after days of being stuck here with him. He didn’t understand how Tooru still had so much energy after everything they had been through.

“Now, now, Matsukawa. Let’s not be too hasty. He could be useful.” Now that voice Wakatoshi did recognize and he searched the darkness behind the oil lamp for his friend. Tendou poked his head over Matsukawa’s shoulder and locked eyes with Wakatoshi. “Never mind. Do what you want with him. I found Wakatoshi. You can toss the trash overboard if you want.”

Wakatoshi could hear Tooru’s sputtering protests but he could only focus on the fact that his friend was here and that meant that he was as good as free.

It was as Tendou was helping him up the stairs that he realized what Tendou being here meant.

“Where is my cousin? Why are you not with her?”

Tendou shook his head and urged Wakatoshi up the stairs. “She’s fine. More than a little pissed that you got dragged into this. She sent me. Said that she and her new bride would be fine for a few days while I came and rescued your ass.”

He let out a sigh and relaxed against Tendou a little. “Thank you.”

—

Tooru waved Mattsun out of the room when he spotted Wakatoshi standing in the doorway.

“Just be careful,” Mattsun warned before he took his leave.

“I’m always careful.” Tooru gestured for Wakatoshi to come in and take a seat. He was still on bed rest, unfortunately, for a few more days at least. But that just meant he could get these little details squared away before he was back in action. “So. I think you and I have a few things to discuss, Wakatoshi.”

“Do you?”

Tooru narrowed his eyes. “That big, dumb, innocent look won’t work on me. I know who you are. I know what you can do.”

“Then you know that discussions aren’t a thing I generally do.”

“True. But I think I have something you want enough to warrant a discussion or two.” Wakatoshi raised his eyebrows in question. Tooru simply stared back at him. Two could play the silent game after all.

Finally Wakatoshi sighed softly and asked, “What do you have to offer me?”

Tooru grinned. “Me.”


	9. Wednesday 3 - pirates/mermaids & meet the family/friends

“Okay. Somehow when I offered myself to you this wasn’t what I imagined.”

Wakatoshi gave him a bland look.

“You didn’t imagine I’d use you like the glittering crown jewel you are? My most precious bargaining chip?”

Tooru narrowed his eyes at Wakatoshi and pouted.

“Okay I did. But I didn’t expect to spend so much time tied up on stranger’s ships.”

“Well maybe if you hadn’t escaped the first four times we used you as a bribe they wouldn’t tie you up,” Tendou suggested.

“Honestly you would think that if they know enough to tie him up to prevent escapes they’d know enough to know that one way or another Wakatoshi will come after him. I mean. By this point he should be a pretty shitty bargaining chip.” Tooru kind of hated how well Mattsun and Tendou seemed to have bonded.

He pouted harder. He even sniffled once for good measure. The sniffle was only half fake. His entire cheek kind of throbbed from the bruise forming thanks to the idiots who apparently didn’t like his particular brand of sass. They could have just shoved a handkerchief in his mouth. It would have been less frustrating for everyone involved really. Wakatoshi sliced through the ropes tying him to the heavy desk chair with ease, but he left Tooru’s hands and feet bound.

“Um. You forgot something?” Tooru wiggled his fingers.

“Wait here,” Wakatoshi said. Then he was back out of the cabin before Tooru could even blink.

“What in the seven hells just happened?”

Tendou hopped up onto the desk and gave Tooru’s cheek an appraising look. “I think someone just signed their own death warrant.”

—

Ayano hopped onto the deck of Wakatoshi’s ship and grinned at him. “What happened to ‘we don’t just take’?” she asked cheerfully.

“Hello Ayano. I am glad to see you are doing well.” He settled his hip against the railing and studied her. “Are you here to take Tendou back finally?”

“Hey don’t make it sound like you don’t love having me here Captain!” Wakatoshi barely even flickered his gaze in Tendou’s direction and Ayano laughed.

“No. He’s always been yours. I figure you need him more than I do. Especially since I’ve got Sora now. And you’ve got him.”

This time Wakatoshi looked away from his cousin. Tooru was sitting on a barrel near the mast, hands wide as he told some escapade or another to a few of Wakatoshi’s crew. A small smile tugged at Wakatoshi’s lips as he turned back to his cousin.

“I do have him. And there was no taking. He offered.”

“Ah but you take him away from all the nice people you give him to.”

“They are merely borrowing him. They just don’t always realize it at first.”

“After seventeen, ah, rescues in the last year you’d think they would start to realize it sooner.”

“People are easily distracted by shiny objects. Especially if they have been told said shiny object is out of their reach.”

“And the Oikawa family has always been out of most people’s reach, haven’t they?”

“Yes.” Tooru glanced over at them and met his eyes and it was only then that Wakatoshi realized he had gone back to watching Tooru. “But nothing is beyond the reach of an Ushijima. Not if they are determined enough.”

—

“So you’re telling me. That with everything you’ve seen. Everywhere you’ve been. You don’t believe in mermaids?” Tooru pulled away from Wakatoshi’s side and gave him a betrayed look. “I feel like I don’t even know you. Who are you?”

Wakatoshi laughed softly and shook his head. “The same person I’ve been since the day you met me.”

Tooru shrugged. “Okay fair enough. But really? No mermaids?”

“Not yet. If I ever see one you will be the first to know. I promise.”

“You swear on your name as the most feared pirate on the sea?”

“I don’t believe anyone but you thinks I am the most feared pirate. I mean you have met my cousin. She is a force to be reckoned with. But if it will make you feel better then yes. I swear on my name as the most feared pirate on the sea you will be the first person I tell should I ever see a mermaid.”

Tooru leaned back against Wakatoshi’s side and stared at the stars reflecting on the open sea. “I’ll hold you to that,” he said softly. “Even if it takes the rest of our lives.”

“That sounds acceptable to me.”


	10. Thursday 1 - professional players

This wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened in Tooru’s life, it didn’t even make the top fifteen honestly. But it was pretty high up on the list of most mortifying things to have happened to him. He was an athlete. He had contracts. He had ‘people’ who contacted other party’s ‘people’ to set things up. He was a professional volleyball player. And he had just thrown up all over the floor of the exam room of the private clinic his team used.

He opened his eyes when he felt a heavy hand gently move his hair from his forehead and urge him to sit up slowly. This was quickly shooting to the top of the most mortifying list. Not only did he just get sick on the floor of the exam room (ding, up another spot) in front of another person (ding) the shoes he had just thrown up on (ding) made him realize it was a teammate (ding) even before he opened his eyes and looked up into Ushijima’s face (ding ding ding we have a winner for most mortifying event ever in his life thanks for playing every other event can pick up their consolation prize at the door.)

“I hate my life,” he tried to mumble as Ushijima guided him to lay down. He was pretty sure it came out more like “aoiaeefwa” with a hint of a whine in it. Ushijima just gave him a bland look and stepped away from the table.

Tooru closed his eyes for just a moment. Then snapped them open when he felt the cool touch of the doctor’s fingers. He wisely kept his mouth shut unless she prompted him and did his best to keep his movements slow and clamp down on the roiling in his stomach with every small breath he took. Once the exam was over and the doctor stepped back out of the room he closed his eyes and wished for the safety and warmth of his own bed. At least there he could pretend this was all a bad dream.

—

Taking care of a fellow teammate wasn’t high on Wakatoshi’s lists of things he’d like to be doing. It was actually fairly low. Helping Tendou weed out his grandmother’s derelict flower garden was higher on the list and he actually rather hated weeding gardens. Tending to small collections of plants in planters, yes. Back breaking weeding on his hands and knees with Tendou dangling worms in his face, not so much.

But.

Oikawa was, as usual, the exception for him.

Oikawa was far from home here. Many of them were but Oikawa was one of the ones who took it the hardest. Yet for as social a creature as he was he kept his distance from most of them. It was a mystery. It was unexpected. Wakatoshi was not fond of things he couldn’t figure out. Yet somehow he felt a similar urge in his chest around Oikawa that he had found around Tendou and Semi years ago. He was aware enough of himself to realize it as a type of fondness. Yes. Oikawa was quite an exception for him.

Which is why he offered to keep an eye on his teammate as he battled the flu. There was little he could do to actually help the other man. The flu was horrible that way. The most he could do was offer him company - which Oikawa accepted with as much dignity as he could manage while leaving heavily against Wakatoshi’s side as they rode the elevator up to Oikawa’s apartment - and help make him soups and bring him sports drinks that would keep him as hydrated as possible.

Oikawa was not the greatest patient. Though Wakatoshi knew he wasn’t exactly the greatest nurse either. They muddled through it.

“You know,” Oikawa mumbled, voice nearly lost in the hoodie and blanket he was wrapped up in, “you’re not the worst person after all.”

Wakatoshi handed him a mug of tea and settled down at the opposite end of the couch.

“Thank you. You’re not the worst either.”

It wasn’t much. But it would do for now. Perhaps he was an exception to Oikawa as well.


	11. Thursday 2 - first kiss

Wakatoshi grabbed his bag from the bench next to Oikawa and bent down to press a kiss to his forehead before he headed out of the locker room. It was only when he was halfway back to his apartment that he registered what he had just done. He stopped on the street corner and carefully pulled his phone from his pocket. He wasn’t exactly afraid of what was waiting for him when he turned the screen on. But he wasn’t exactly fearless either.

He had kissed Oikawa on the forehead. Casual as could be. Like it was a thing they did.

It was not a thing they did.

He did not know why he did it.

  
<< USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT????

<< YOU CAN’T JUST KISS ME ON THE FOREHEAD AND WALK AWAY AND LEAVE ME WITH THESE VULTURES

<< SERIOUSLY KUROO IS ALREADY MAKING MEMES OR SOMETHING GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE

Wakatoshi debated the seriousness of that last text and took a deep breath. He seemed to do that around Oikawa a lot. Deep breathing. Heavy sighs. Last week he found himself rolling his eyes at something Oikawa had said. Wakatoshi can’t remember ever doing that before; he was far too respectful of most people to roll his eyes at them.

>> I apologize for that. If you wish to come over and talk about it you can.

>> Try not to worry about the team. You know them. They will find something else to distract them before too long.

He continued on his way home, lost in his thoughts.

It wasn’t as though he didn’t respect Oikawa. He respected him greatly. He was an excellent player. He was serious about volleyball, even if he occasionally seemed flippant he never really goofed off enough ruin practice or anything. He was tough enough to have recovered from his knee injury in high school and come back even stronger. He did his best to bring out the best in each and every player that stepped foot on his side of the court - and Wakatoshi had seen him giving advice to the opposing team on occasion after a match though he never told Oikawa he saw him.

So, yes, he respected Oikawa a lot.

But he also felt such a deep sense of irritation on occasion because of the other man.

Oikawa’s insistence on calling him Ushiwaka. Oikawa’s dramatic nature. Oikawa’s occasional need to be the center of attention at any cost. Oikawa’s bouts of crippling self-doubt. The way Oikawa’s only ways of texting were all captials and bolds or all lowercase and jumbled together. All so irritating. Wakatoshi normally didn’t bother with irritating people like that.

And yet he had just invited Oikawa over to his apartment. To talk about how he had kissed Oikawa’s forehead as he left practice easy as could be. Like it was a familiar motion.

Wakatoshi wasn’t one to swear but he let out a quiet curse as he unlocked his door. Just what had he gotten himself into?

—

Tooru let out a groan as he stretched his shoulders and back. It had been a horrible practice. Partially because the team had just finally started to shut the hell up about the whole kiss thing. But mostly because half the team was out sick with food poisoning and their coach was pissed and working the rest of them twice as hard to make up for the missing members. Tooru didn’t think it really worked that way but he was stupid enough to try and tell their coach that.

He tugged his sweater over his head with a grimace - he couldn’t wait to get home to his hot shower - and shoved his practice clothes in his gym bag. Thankfully tomorrow was a rest day because he had so much laundry to do it wasn’t even funny. He patted his pockets for his phone and keys and frowned when he didn’t feel his phone. Before he could start searching in a panic it appeared in front of his face.

He glanced up at Ushijima and plucked it out of his hand with a grin.

“Thanks Ushiwaka!”

Ushijima shook his head the slightest bit but didn’t say anything. But he did watch Tooru check his notifications and then slide his phone into his pocket. He could feel Ushijima’s gaze on him and it made his chest ache almost as much as his shoulders did.

Tooru headed past him towards the door, pausing to press a kiss to his cheek on the way, and said, “You’re a lifesaver.”

It took him fifteen steps from the locker room door to realize what he had done.

It took him the rest of his thirty minute trip home to control his blush. He had just gotten it under control when he opened his new text message.

>> I think we may need to have another talk Oikawa.


	12. Thursday 3 - office & proposal

Coach Himura’s office was every team member’s least favorite place to wind up. Except for Yoshikawa. But he didn’t really count because Tooru was pretty sure that there was something seriously wrong with Yoshikawa, like he had been drop kicked across the room by a horse a few times as a child. Anyway. Being called into Coach’s office on the team’s rest day was not something that Tooru wanted to deal with. Even less so when he was called inside after knocking and found Wakatoshi sitting in one of the chairs in front of Coach’s desk.

“Um,” Tooru started, stomach somewhere near the back of his tongue.

“Just sit for a few. You’re not in trouble or anything.”

If that was supposed to make him feel better it failed. Miserably. His mind started flying to why he was here, why they were both here, if they weren’t in trouble. Wait. Coach hadn’t said they both weren’t trouble. Was Wakatoshi in trouble? Was Wakatoshi sick? Had something happened to Wakatoshi’s father?

His thoughts were racing around the track of his mind trying to see which one could hit the finish line and drive him to the brink of panic first when Wakatoshi’s familiar grip wrapped around his wrist.

“Sit down, Tooru.” Just a year or two ago Wakatoshi telling him that would have sent him into a rage. Then again barely a year ago he was Ushijima and not Wakatoshi. Funny how quickly things can change.

He sat down.

“Here’s the thing,” Coach said. “Your relationship? Shouldn’t be anybody else’s business. Sadly the way the world is that means anyone and everyone feels they have the right to your personal business. I’m not going to warn you off from each other or anything like that. I just want you two to be aware of how this might complicate your professional lives. Less your relationship in general,” he tacked on quickly when Tooru’s eyes started to narrow. “I have yet to come across anyone who really cares that you’re together. It’s more a fact that you have different sponsors and contracts and all of that. So if you wish to continue whatever fledgling relationship you have right now I just wanted to make sure you were aware of how it might affect the, I don’t know. The business side of things I guess.”

Wakatoshi’s grip on Tooru’s wrist was strong and steady. He was pretty sure Wakatoshi could feel Tooru’s pulse pounding away under his thumb, especially when Wakatoshi rubbed his thumb against Tooru’s wrist a couple times soothingly.

“That is very considerate of you Coach Himura, thank you,” Wakatoshi said when it became obvious Tooru wasn’t going to respond.

Coach smiled at them. “That being said. If you ever need any help with anything or need anyone to talk to about something let me know. I know a lot of people who would be able to help.”

—

Three hours later Tooru was still in a bit of a daze. Wakatoshi watched him blearily bump into the edge of the counter in Wakatoshi’s kitchen three times before he gave in and guided Tooru into the large armchair in the corner of the living room. He gently tossed a blanket over Tooru’s lap and left him to sort through his thoughts while Wakatoshi made them something to eat.

An hour later he paused in front of the chair, taking a moment to observe Tooru before waking him up to eat. He wasn’t sure what about their meeting with Coach Himura had set Tooru off so badly. He knew they would talk about it later. Because after everything they had gone through talking was essential if they wanted to make what they had work.

And Wakatoshi wanted to make it work. So they talked. No matter how bad at it Wakatoshi felt sometimes. Especially when talking to Tooru. His words felt clunky and insubstantial compared to the flow and grace of Tooru’s and sometimes he worried that Tooru would grow tired of his quiet ineptitude when it came to scintillating conversations.

“You’re thinking too much Ushiwaka,” Tooru teased sleepily. “I can hear it from all the way down here.”

He startled a little, not the dramatic arm flinging way Tooru did but the quiet stiffening of his shoulders and arms. He looked down and saw the amused glint in Tooru’s barely slitted open eyes and he relaxed.

He and Tooru had chose each other. And if for some reason Tooru changed his mind they would deal with it. But he had known Tooru long enough to know that it was a rare thing for Tooru to give up on something he had chosen for himself.

“The food is ready,” Wakatoshi said, a little unnecessarily he was sure since Tooru could no doubt smell the food and see the table set and ready to go. But if it meant that he could hear Tooru’s happy hum and see the way his eyes traveled across Wakatoshi’s face like he was memorizing this moment just because Wakatoshi spoke? Well he might be able to manage a few more sentences here and there, no matter how clunky and ungraceful they made him feel at times.

—

“I have a proposal for you. Both of you.”

Tooru and Wakatoshi looked up at Yoshikawa’s voice.

“We are not joining you and Mizushima for a strange foursome.” Tooru choked on his own sudden laughter at Wakatoshi’s statement. Wakatoshi glanced at him and gave him a pleased look. Wakatoshi didn’t make crude jokes often (or swear) but when he did he made it count. Tooru was pretty sure he’d never tire of the small ways Wakatoshi always managed to surprise him.

Yoshikawa let out a sharp little laugh. “One: I don’t share Shiro like that. Two: I’m impressed to learn that you have a sense of humor Ushijima.” Wakatoshi nodded in acknowledgment. “Three: I was going to offer you my family’s legal services if you need it. They helped smooth things out with everyone when Shiro and I finally got together.”

“Are you saying that Wakatoshi and I need help?” Tooru finally found his voice in the conversation. “That we can’t figure it out on our own?” It wasn’t that he didn’t like Yoshikawa or appreciate his offer of help. He just didn’t like taking help from anyone. Even Wakatoshi. It was something he was working on though. Because the happy look that flashed along Wakatoshi’s face when Tooru did ask for help, even with the simplest of things, was definitely worth the cost of asking.

“What I’m saying,” Yoshikawa said with a smile, “is that I know forever when I see it.”

He handed them each a business card and headed back to his own locker with a small wave.

“Forever,” Wakatoshi murmured. Tooru glanced up from the card and smiled at the look in Wakatoshi’s eyes as he stood and grabbed their bags.

“Forever doesn’t sound too horrible I suppose.” Tooru tilted his head to the side as they met each other’s gaze. “Help me up?”

Wakatoshi gave him a small smile and held out his hand.

“We can go back to your place and talk about it,” Wakatoshi offered softly as he pulled Tooru to his feet.

“Thanks,” Tooru said as he adjusted his grip to hold Wakatoshi’s hand as they walked out of the locker room. “That sounds like a perfect plan.”


	13. Friday 1 - roommates

Wakatoshi looked up at his roommate warily. It wasn’t that Oikawa made him nervous but he was acting just a little more off center than usual.

“I’m just saying.” Oikawa gestured to Wakatoshi. “It would have been nice for my roommate to tell me he was smuggling a cat in.”

“I didn’t smuggle anything.”

Oikawa pointed to the cat on Wakatoshi’s lap. “What do you call that?”

Wakatoshi glanced down. “Well I usually call him Aki.”

“It’s a cat.”

“Yes?”

Oikawa threw his hands up in the air and stomped to his room.

  
A couple hours later Oikawa still hadn’t come out of his room but his door was open so Wakatoshi peeked into Oikawa’s room and knocked softly on the door.

“You are not allergic to cats are you? I’m certain you had said last week that you were not.”

Oikawa groaned. He rolled over on his bed - dramatically as many of his actions were - and squinted at Wakatoshi.

“No I’m not allergic. When did I tell you I wasn’t? I don’t remember that.”

“The night you came home from work and declared that you were getting drunk whether I joined you or not. We had many discussions that night though I must admit I don’t remember a lot of them.”

“Oh yeah. That night.” Oikawa snorted softly at the memory. “It’s not that I’m allergic or anything. I just don’t want us to get in trouble and get kicked out. I can’t really afford to be finding a new place to live right now.”

Ah. That made sense. Much of the housing in the area had very strict pet policies and just very strict policies in general and if you weren’t careful it was easy to get kicked out over some small thing. It was why Wakatoshi had asked Semi to read over the lease with him before he signed it; two heads were better than one after all.

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Oikawa’s eyebrow raise of judgment had ceased to be affective against Wakatoshi before they became roommates. After they had moved in together, well, it was hard to feel judged by someone he had seen wearing neon green sweat pants and rainbow patterned toe-socks while dancing in the kitchen to movie soundtracks. Though Oikawa’s spins had been rather magnificent to watch. Until he hit a tiny blotch of water, jerked to a stop, lost his balance and nearly face planted into the fridge.

“And why not?” Oikawa’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Oh. Because the lease allows us to have one pet per person so long as you have the landlady’s approval first. And I brought Aki to meet her two nights ago after my last class. Worry not. Aki is one hundred percent landlady approved.” Oikawa sighed but he nodded at Wakatoshi that he understood. Then he dropped his arm over his face, signaling the end of the conversation.

Wakatoshi was going to turn back to his own room when a thought struck him. Oikawa’s original reaction felt a bit extreme for just a misunderstanding over the lease terms and worry over getting in trouble. He wondered if maybe…

“Oikawa?”

“Ushiwaka?” The nickname, while annoying, hadn’t been as hard to get used to as he first thought it would be.

“Do you, perhaps, not like cats?”

Oikawa froze on his bed and Wakatoshi could see a little bit of pink on his cheeks under his arm. He muttered something and threw his pillow at Wakatoshi before rolling onto his back and facing the wall.

Wakatoshi gently tossed the pillow onto the end of Oikawa’s bed and returned to his room. He hadn’t been able to hear him perfectly but he was pretty sure Oikawa had said something along the lines of “Cats don’t like me,” in a very pouty voice. Wakatoshi smiled to himself as he got ready for bed. He really did learn something new about his roommate nearly every day.

—

He had searched everywhere he could think of for Aki including inside the cupboard where his food was kept and in the closet outside the bathroom and he couldn’t find his cat anywhere. He knocked on Oikawa’s closed door, something he rarely did, and hurried to open it when Oikawa called out.

“Oikawa I don’t want to disturb you but have you seen-”

Oikawa blinked up at him blearily, clearly having just woken up from a nap, and yawned. Aki meowed in irritation as Oikawa rolled to the side and knocked Aki off his chest on accident.

Wakatoshi just shook his head when Oikawa asked what he needed. So much for cats not liking Oikawa.


	14. Friday 2 - exchanging gifts

It started with Tooru realizing that he was Ushijima’s emergency contact. The phone call that Ushijima had been injured enough at work to need a ride home from the hospital was frightening enough. But the realization that he was Ushijima’s primary contact was-

Well. Actually.

It started with a package of milk bread left on the counter about seven months after they moved in together. Tooru hadn’t bought it. He actually bought it very rarely anymore. The sharp nostalgia of it seemed to overpower the flavor and it just didn’t seem to taste the way he always remembered it tasting. So he definitely had not bought the package on the counter. But he knew that Ushijima didn’t like milk bread all that much. Oh he didn’t hate it but he didn’t like it enough to buy it for himself as a treat.

Ushijima wandered into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and spotted Tooru staring at the package.

“Oh. I was at the store and they had those on sale. I thought you might like one.”

And then he grabbed his glass and left the kitchen, easy as could be. Like he hadn’t somehow just tilted Tooru’s world completely sideways with one simple gesture. The thing was no one got gifts for Tooru just because. Not since he was younger and girls flocked to him and showered him with attention. Sure Iwa-chan sent him stupid memes and pictures of dumb things that “reminded” him of Tooru. Usually ones involving trash cans and princess crowns. Which was fine because Tooru sent back ones filled with dumpster fires and ugly little garden gnomes. But that was it. No one gave Tooru things for no reason.

He took the milk bread to his room, eying it suspiciously as he did his best to keep Aki from pawing at it.

“What am I supposed to do now? Do I get him something back?”

As per usual Aki had no answer. He simply stared at Tooru until he was sure Tooru wasn’t going to share and then he flopped dramatically onto the end of Tooru’s bed.

The milk bread tasted almost as good as he remembered it tasting when he was a kid.

—

There was something being dangled in front of Wakatoshi’s face. He had grown used to things being dangled in front of his face. Tooru did it a lot. It was his way of getting Wakatoshi’s attention while pretending he didn’t want it and was trying to simply irritate Wakatoshi. Despite being an only child Wakatoshi saw right through Tooru’s ‘younger sibling antics’ and simply plucked the items from his hand.

This time it was a book.

“100 Ways to Tell If Your Plant is Trying to Kill You.” He glanced at Tooru. “Do you believe my plants have turned evil?”

Tooru scoffed at him. “I saw it and thought you might like it. You’re all,” Tooru waved around the living room, “into plants and stuff.”

Wakatoshi glanced around at the handful of potted plants and succulents he had carefully raised. It was a tough task, especially finding plants he could have that would be safe for Aki. Cats loved getting into plants they shouldn’t after all.

“I am into plants. I have never worried they may be trying to kill me though.”

Tooru flushed and made to grab the book back. “It’s a dumb book. I thought you might think it was funny. I forget you have no sense of humor.”

Wakatoshi cradled the book to his chest. “All the more reason for me to read it then. Maybe it will help me find a sense of humor while it saves me from my murder plotting plants.”

—

Tooru pulled up his messages and snorted at the newest one.

>> These conspiracies seem like something even you would doubt. But listen to them anyway.

The podcast was absolute bullshit. But it made his ride home enjoyable.

—

Wakatoshi’s hands hovered between the two flavors of pocky in the cupboard. Damn Tooru for somehow managing to find his two absolute favorite flavors. He sighed to himself and slipped one of both from their boxes.

—

Aki mewled pathetically at Tooru and he scoffed. “Don’t take that tone with me mister. I know you already got fed.” Aki mewled again and Tooru caved. “Okay fine but if your father asks you got this food out of the cupboard yourself.”

—

Wakatoshi let Tooru help him into the apartment. He was unsure if the scowl on Tooru’s face was because Wakatoshi had been injured or because he had needed to come pick Wakatoshi up.

“Were you going to let me know I was your emergency contact?”

Oh. That was why he was upset.

“Well you live with me and my family is over three hours away and I didn’t think you would mind this much.”

Tooru stared at him for a few long moments that made Wakatoshi feel itchy. Or maybe it was just the cast on his wrist that felt that way. He reached down to rub at it only to have Tooru bat his hand away. Tooru looked down at his hand like it had betrayed him and then Wakatoshi lost his balance as Tooru pushed at his chest until he tripped onto the couch. Tooru settled himself in Wakatoshi’s lap and curled up against his chest.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again. I thought you were on Death’s doorstep or something.”

Wakatoshi curled his arms around Tooru and settled himself comfortably on the couch. Aki hopped up onto the other end and curled up on top of Wakatoshi’s book.

“I apologize for worrying you.”

“Good.”

—

It started the day they decided to move in together, really.

And like a well tended flower it grew deep roots and bloomed to life before they knew it.


	15. Friday 3 - gods/goddesses & wedding/honeymoon

“Takeru wants to know when you’re going to, how did he say it, pop him out a cousin,” Wakatoshi announced.

Tooru froze in the hallway, one shoe on the floor and the other on his foot half untied. Wakatoshi watched in fascination as his eyelids fluttered shut in barely concealed irritation. He didn’t indulge in it often but it was nice to be the one causing the deep breaths of barely contained frustration on occasion. Even if he had to do it by passing on messages from Takeru. Takeru never seemed to mind it.

“Takeru is twenty-three years old and damn well knows that’s not how it works.”

Wakatoshi held up a hand. “I am merely the messenger.”

Tooru grit his teeth as he stalked into the living room and glared at Wakatoshi. Wakatoshi patiently stared back at him. Eventually Tooru gave in and grabbed Wakatoshi’s hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it before he stalked out of the living room. A moment or two later Wakatoshi followed him to the bedroom.

“I know he just wants us to be happy or whatever. But not every happy family requires a couple of parents, two kids, and a bouncing puppy. I just wish he’d get that.”

Wakatoshi leaned against the doorway and watched Tooru’s anger slowly dissipate as he got out of his work clothes and into something more comfortable. The tension left his shoulders as he stripped his shirt off and tugged one of Wakatoshi’s old sweatshirts on. His breathing evened out when his slacks came off and loose gym shorts were pulled on. He wiggled his toes when he yanked his socks off and tossed them into the hamper in the corner.

Getting to watch Tooru like this, getting to see him unwind and grow comfortable in his own skin after coming home… it was something Wakatoshi would forever be thankful for. He said a silent thank you to whatever gods or goddesses saw fit to bring Tooru into his life and into his apartment all those years ago.

“Earth to Wakatoshi,” Tooru said, waving his hand in front of Wakatoshi’s face. “You want to help me make something to eat or are you gonna daydream all afternoon?”

Wakatoshi took Tooru’s hand and kissed his palm before tangling their fingers together and tugging him to the kitchen.

If he tossed in another silent thank you when he saw the content smile on Tooru’s face at his actions, well, no one other than him and the gods or goddesses listening knew.

—

Tooru collapsed onto the barstool next to Wakatoshi with a groan.

“I swear if Tendou asks me one more time when the wedding is and if he can have the ‘honeymoon deets’ I am going to strangle him.”

“I always thought it was strange that you and he don’t get along better.” Tooru snorted at Wakatoshi and gave the bartender a thankful smile when she handed him his drink. “It’s true. You are actually fairly similar. You are both excellent at seeing how people tick and working under their skin. You both like conspiracy theories.”

Tooru gave him an offended look. “Please the only thing that little cryptid and I have in common is the fact we both like you. And even that’s not the same because he may like you but I love you so I win.”

Wakatoshi glanced at Tooru and smiled to himself when he saw the irritated flush on Tooru’s face. Or maybe it was an embarrassed flush.

“I feel like I’m the one who wins the most in this situation.”

Tooru’s cheeks flushed even more and he took a long swallow of his drink.

“Just shut up and drink,” Tooru grumbled.

—

“Do you ever think about it?” Wakatoshi glanced over at Tendou’s words and gave him a questioning look. “You know. The whole marriage and kids thing.”

“It won’t work out quite as easily for Tooru and I as it did for you.”

Tendou rolled his eyes at Wakatoshi and gestured across the room as he spoke. “There was nothing easy about this, Wakatoshi. There never is.”

Wakatoshi looked across the room at Tendou’s wife and his wife’s partner, at the way they smiled at each other and leaned against each other, at the way they smiled when they saw Tendou watching them and their son.

“I suppose.”

Wakatoshi looked around for Tooru and found him near the kitchen, leaning against the wall next to Iwaizumi and already looking back at Wakatoshi. Their eyes met and Tooru gave him a soft smile. It was the one that said he was exhausted but happy to be here with their friends. The one that promised so many more years of this very kind of night, no matter what. The one they had fought for, had occasionally fought each other for.

He sent up another silent thanks to whoever was listening.

“But,” Wakatoshi said, eyes never leaving Tooru’s across the room, “not everyone needs the whole marriage and kids thing. Sometimes they just need a person to love and that’s okay. Everything works out in the end.”

“That… that was disgustingly sappy.” Tendou slapped his shoulder and laughed. “But if you’re happy then I’m happy.”

—

Aki hopped onto the bed and made his way up to their chests, pawing and kneading at the blankets on his way. He bumped his head against Wakatoshi’s chin a couple times, purring when Wakatoshi nudged him with his chin. Then he turned and flopped across Tooru’s chest, purring even louder when Tooru snorted out a laugh and scratched Aki’s head.

“Is this okay?” Tooru’s voice was tiny in their bedroom. Unsure in a way Wakatoshi hadn’t heard from him in years. “Just you and me and Aki?”

“Any way that I get to have you in my life and by my side is okay with me. If you want us to marry we can make it work. Same for kids. But if all you ever want is this, what we have right now? I am perfectly happy with that. So long are you are happy with it too.”

Tooru rolled over, dislodging Aki and making him mew grumpily before resettling at the foot of the bed, and buried his face against Wakatoshi’s throat.

“I’m happy with you. However I get to keep you.”

“Then it’s okay. It’s more than okay.”

“I love you,” Tooru whispered, voice reverent in the darkness of their bedroom.

“I love you,” Wakatoshi whispered back.


	16. Saturday 1 - college team rivals

Tooru tugged his phone out of his sweatpants pocket and shot off a quick text.

>> Tell Coach I am going to be a little late please.

<< Any particular excuse?

>> I mean the truth is I am going to be late primarily because of who I am as a person but I don’t think Coach will go for that

<< I gotcha. I’ll let him know.

He shoved his phone back in his pocket and huddled a little further into his jacket. He loved being on his university’s team. He really did. He could do without the 5AM Saturday practices though. Especially considering how late he was up the night before. He didn’t even know why he had to be there. He was out on medical leave - not for his knee thank fuck but for a sprained wrist - for another week anyway. Being able to skip Saturdays should be a thing if you can’t even play.

A gust of wind made his shoulders twitch up towards his ears. He really should have grabbed a scarf when he left. He had already known he would be late. It wasn’t like running back up to the apartment would have really made him that much later. But. Had he gone back he probably wouldn’t have left a second time. It was warm and comfortable inside the apartment. A cozy bed was waiting for him. So much better than outside. The only thing outside was cold gusts of wind and the twenty minute walk to the gym.

He jogged the last few blocks. More to try and warm himself up than anything else.

Asahi was waiting for him outside.

“I was sent outside to wait for you since I thought it was appropriate to check my text messages instead of listen to Coach’s pep talk. Thanks for that.”

“Did you tell Coach I would be late then?”

“I told him that you were too busy necking with your boy toy to make it on time.”

Tooru blamed the flush on his cheeks from the cold. There had been no necking this morning. But last night…

“Yeah, no,” he laughed awkwardly. “Let’s just get inside.”

Asahi raised his brows and snorted quietly, shaking his head as they went inside. Inside where they were met by giggles and stares. Tooru glanced around at his team, trying to figure out if he maybe missed something other than just the beginning of practice. He looked at Asahi who simply shrugged at him and went over to where Yaku was stretching near the stands. Asahi leaned down and said something to Yaku that had Yaku staring at Tooru.

“Nice jacket,” someone called out from across the gym. “Blue’s really your color.”

“Too bad it’s not ours,” Coach replied as he stepped up to Tooru. He tapped Tooru’s chest with his knuckle. “Did you get a name change since you left yesterday? Ushijima?”

Tooru froze, suddenly aware of just how much larger than usual his jacket was. And how much it smelled like Wakatoshi’s soap and shampoo. And how every single one of his teammates was staring at him with expressions ranging from amusement to downright glee.

“Does Iwaizumi know?” Coach asked with a grin. Some days Tooru loved Coach. Some days Tooru hated the man. Today was leaning towards hate.

“He does now,” Yaku called out and Tooru snapped his head to the side to see Yaku with his phone out. He growled at Yaku. Yaku simply grinned in response. Yaku and Iwa-chan meeting had been on of the worst days of Tooru’s life. For his sanity if nothing else.

Coach managed to get them under control eventually and Tooru spent practice sitting on the bench, hunched in Wakatoshi’s jacket, pretending to ignore his teammates.

—

“So my entire team knows we’re an item,” he said as he flopped onto Wakatoshi’s bed. Wakatoshi glanced over from his desk in question. “I grabbed your jacket instead of mine this morning,” he explained.

“Semi sent me a text asking how long we had been secretly dating. Apparently the news already made it to his team.”

Tooru snorted. “Volleyball players. What a load of gossips.”

Wakatoshi gave him a smile. “You’re just upset you didn’t get to announce it as dramatically as you wanted to.”

“I dunno. Showing up late to my 5AM practice in your university team jacket was pretty dramatic.”

“So now that the cat is out of the bag are we going to accept Sugawara’s request for a double date?”

“Now that,” Tooru said as he snuggled himself under the blankets, determined to take a nap, “will be plenty dramatic.”


	17. Saturday 2 - when they know it's forever

Two rival teams. Two rival captains. Their story had spread through their universities and their fans and the stands were packed for the game.

Destined rivals, the fans liked to whisper. They would be together forever. Even if they were on opposite sides of the net.

His team was in the locker room before their game - their last university game ever - and he realized that he kind of liked the sound of that. It was hard to think that after today, after just a few more hours he would no longer be a university volleyball player. That his team would no longer be his team, technically. Sure they would always be a team in spirit and all that. But after just a few hours they would be the university’s former team. Wakatoshi shook his head and huffed softly. Tooru’s sentimentality was rubbing off on him. Tendou would be so proud.

Iwaizumi slapped him on the shoulder and gave him a grin. “You ready to do this?”

Wakatoshi nodded once. When he found out that Iwaizumi was on his team he felt cautious. He hadn’t known what to expect from the other player. But when their eyes met Iwaizumi had simply nodded and asked if Wakatoshi was ready to kick Oikawa’s ass.

Oikawa Tooru. The player who had always been on the opposite side of things from Wakatoshi. On nearly every topic. If Wakatoshi said yes, Oikawa would say no. If he wanted something hot to eat, Oikawa wanted cold. He has never been sure if it was because Oikawa truly wanted it that way, if they were truly that opposite, or if Oikawa was simply contrary to be contrary. Or maybe it was a mix of both.

Wakatoshi looked at Iwaizumi, looked at the player who had become one of his closest friends on the team and felt an uncharacteristic longing in his chest. He would miss having this friend by his side. Miss having the friendly rapport they had built up.

“I’m ready.”

They marched out of the locker room, heads high and ready to dominate the court. He felt Iwaizumi stiffen minutely beside him and his eyes flickered past the net, searching for the source. He met Tooru’s eyes and felt his breath catch.

He wasn’t ready to give this up. The volleyball, the team, the thrill under his skin, the satisfaction of a game well played? Sure. Looking into Tooru’s eyes he realized he could give that all up in a heartbeat so long as he got to keep Tooru there. He could give up basically anything so long as he got to keep the constant that was Oikawa Tooru in his life.

Tooru met his eyes. There was a spark there, a challenge, and he gave Wakatoshi a showy wink. Wakatoshi took a deep breath and nodded at him, accepting his challenge.

Just because Wakatoshi wanted to keep Tooru forever didn’t mean he was ready to give up volleyball just yet.

—

It was a tough game. Though Tooru didn’t really expect anything different. He and Iwa-chan never went easy on each other and there was no way he was going to go easy on Ushiwaka. Which was fine because they had no intention of going easy on him either.

A tough game just made victory that much sweeter.

What better way to end his university volleyball career than by snatching victory from the very fingertips of his volleyball rival and his childhood best friend? The roar of the crowd made his heart thump wildly in his chest as Asahi wrapped him in a hug and Yaku leapt at them, shouting in excitement. He looked through the net and met Iwa-chan’s eyes. He was sad, of course he was, but he also looked proud. Like Tooru’s victory was his own somehow and Tooru winked at him. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and elbowed the teammate next to him, no doubt saying something that Tooru couldn’t hear but he assumed it wasn’t exactly kind.

Ushiwaka glanced at his side where Iwaizumi had nudged him and then looked up at Tooru.

The moment their eyes met the thrill of victory turned into a chill in his veins.

This was their last game. Their last university game ever. They were graduating university soon. Holy shit this was it. They never really labeled whatever this was between them and suddenly Tooru feels an expiration date looming over him. He’s not ready. Not ready to give up Wakatoshi’s sleepy morning stare and the way he huffs a laugh when Tooru undoubtedly burns their breakfast. Not ready to give up sitting next to Wakatoshi on his couch while they watch weird documentaries. Not ready to give up Wakatoshi in his life holy shit when did he fall in love with Ushijima Wakatoshi?

He can feel panic bubbling under his skin but he pushes it aside as he pulls free from Asahi and Yaku and strides to the net. Ushiwaka meets him there. He makes the mistake of glancing to meet Iwa-chan’s eyes as their hands meet and Iwa-chan bursts out laughing at whatever he sees there.

“Congratulations on the engagement,” Iwa-chan says. “Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding.”

Ushiwaka finally looks away from Tooru’s face to look at Iwaizumi.

“Please remember to return the favor and invite us to Yaku’s and your nuptials as well,” Ushiwaka said calmly.

Iwa-chan’s face turned bright red at Ushiwaka’s words, a match for Tooru’s own red face he was sure, and Tooru managed to fall a little more in love with Ushiwaka.

He had a feeling he would be falling in love like that forever. And that was okay with him.


	18. Saturday 3 - soulmates & pets

Tooru stretched out in the grass and stared up at the stars.

“Hey Iwa-chan?”

Iwa-chan grunted to show he was listening. Tooru only kept from rolling his eyes thanks to years of being used to Iwa-chan’s more Neanderthal-like traits.

“Have you ever stopped to think that Wakatoshi and I are, like, soulmates?”

Iwa-chan choked on his own laughter, curling up on his side facing Tooru with tears running down his cheeks as he laughed and chortled and made all sorts of similar rude sounds.

“Shittykawa,” Iwa-chan said when he could breathe again. “Do you ever stop to think. In general?”

“You know if you weren’t my best friend I’d think you were a jackass.” Tooru stuck out his tongue and looked back up at the stars. He wasn’t being entirely ridiculous. He really did believe that somehow, some way, he and Wakatoshi were some kind of soulmate. They were destined to always find each other. It was kind of a comfort in this disaster of a world.

“Yeah well if you weren’t my best friend I’d think you were a jackass too,” Iwa-chan said. Then he punched Tooru’s shoulder lightly and rolled onto his back again. “And honestly I always felt that you two were more ‘soulhate’ than ‘soulmate’ but that’s just me.”

“Soulhate?”

“Yeah but soulhates don’t generally move in together, adopt seventeen plants, a corn snake, and two kittens they found on the side of the road all before they turn twenty-seven. So. You know. I might be wrong.”

“Big of you to admit you’re wrong, Iwa-chan.”

Iwa-chan growled at him and batted at his face. Their conversation devolved into a wrestling match that nearly led to them rolling down the dewy hill behind Iwa-chan’s house (that he shared with Yaku and Asahi and he was really one to talk all snobby about settling down early considering the three of them had been there since a year after university.)

—

The skies above had wrenched open hours ago and the rain was still pouring down. Not even Wakatoshi’s umbrella could do much to keep him dry in the deluge. What rain he managed to avoid getting all over his head and shoulders simply hit the ground and bounced right up onto his slacks. His shoes were soggy and his socks squished uncomfortably with each step and the only thing that kept him moving forward was the knowledge that there was a warm bath and a warm hug and a warm smile waiting for him at home. Unless Tooru was stuck at the youth center late. In which case the warm hug and smile would have to be administered to him via one of the cats until Tooru could make it home.

Wakatoshi cut through the alley between the deli and the jewelry store a few blocks from his and Tooru’s house and paused under the awning for the deli’s back entrance. A quick glance at his phone showed no missed messages so it looked like human hugs and smiles were definitely in his immediate future. He tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket and readied himself to step back out into the rain. It was only a few minutes until home but in the rain even a few minutes felt like forever.

He only made it one step from the awning before a whimpery snuffle caught his attention. Off to his left, nearly hidden behind the dumpster, he spotted a ball of damp fur shivering miserably.

“Hey there,” he said softly as he crouched down slowly. “What are you doing out here?”

—

“Wakatoshi is that you?”

He sighed happily as soon as he shut the door behind him, shutting out the miserable rain and wind.

“Were you expecting someone else perhaps?” He slipped off his shoes carefully and padded through to the kitchen in his wet socks.

“No but it’s always good to ask in case, I dunno, the aliens really do come for me.”

“Door to door aliens?”

Tooru glanced over his shoulder and gave Wakatoshi a grin. “You never know.” Then his eyes zeroed in on what Wakatoshi was carrying and he gasped. “You poor thing,” he cooed as he hurried across the kitchen and held out his hands. Not for Wakatoshi. But he had expected as much the moment he had looked down into the dog’s eyes and decided to bring it home. “Where did you find this precious puppy?”

“Tooru he is no doubt at least six or seven years old.”

“So he’s a big puppy.” Tooru looked up at him with wide eyes. He sighed. Tendou did always tell him he was a sucker for puppy dog eyes. “Doesn’t answer my question.”

Wakatoshi handed over the dog and followed Tooru down the hall. He changed into dry clothes and listened to Tooru coo and murmur soothingly as he dried the dog in the bathroom.

“Would you like to call the vet or would you like me to,” Tooru called out when he heard Wakatoshi close their bedroom door. “Oh and could you make sure Rocket and Octopus are in our room? I don’t want them bothering this poor thing.”

“The cats are inside. And I will call the vet in the morning.”

“What are we going to name him?”

“Once we make sure he didn’t just get lost and he doesn’t have someone looking for him-” Wakatoshi bent down and kissed Tooru’s forehead- “we can all him whatever you wish.”

—

Tooru stretched out next to Wakatoshi on the bed and propped his chin on Wakatoshi’s chest.

“Squeaky and I missed you today,” he said softly.

Half the reason he picked the odd names for all their pets was just to watch the flicker of amusement on Wakatoshi’s face any time he said their names. The other reason was because he was an adult and he could call their three year old cat Octopus if he wanted to and no one could stop him.

“Well if Squeaky ever winds his way out of your hair you may tell him I missed you two as well.” The corn snake in question did indeed poke his face out of Tooru’s hair for a moment before slithering down and plopping himself into Tooru’s shirt.

“How is Muffin doing?”

Wakatoshi took a steady breath, not quite deep enough to compare to a sigh but a little deeper than necessary. “Muffin is doing fine. He is about seven years old and Tanaka said that he should be go to come home to us in a day so long as he’s eating all his food still and no one comes to claim him.”

“Awesome. I always wanted a puppy.”

“Tooru a seven year old dog isn’t exactly a puppy.”

“He is a dog. Therefore he is a puppy and a good boy.”

Wakatoshi let his eyes flutter shut and Tooru laughed.

“Hey Wakatoshi.”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever stopped to think that we’re, I dunno, soulmates?”

“I haven’t, no. But the sound of it is… rather reassuring.”

Tooru hummed happily and let his eyes drift shut, content to be flopped across Wakatoshi with their cats curled on their bed and their corn snake tucked away in his sweatshirt and their new puppy just waiting to be brought home.

“It is, isn’t it?”

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come yell at me on [tumblr](http://ezzydean.tumblr.com)


End file.
